Letter from a congressman

An anonymous contributor received this letter from his/her congressman

Dear xxxxxxxxx,

Thank you for sharing your concerns about issues affecting Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) employees. I appreciate learning
your views, and I would like to update you on my work related to the
lab.

As you know, LLNL recently completed a transition to new management.
As part of this transition, federal officials mandated a new set of
benefits packages for lab employees. Following this announcement, I
received hundreds of letters, emails, and phone calls from lab
employees raising important concerns about the proposal. Many
employees expressed frustration that the benefits were less than those
offered at other laboratories and also worried that these decreased
benefits might hurt retention, recruitment, and morale at the lab.

In response to the outpouring of concern I heard, I hosted a town hall
meeting on July 2 to discuss the benefits package with lab employees
and their families, and nearly 300 people attended. I also helped lead
an effort by several of my Congressional colleagues from Northern
California to deliver a message to Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman
expressing our concerns about the proposal, and included comments from
lab employees.

While I have serious concerns about the privatization of the lab, this
change was mandated by a law that passed before I entered Congress.
However, I remain committed to using my position to assist lab
employees during the adjustment phase. I spent much of my career as an
engineer, including time working as a contractor at Sandia National
Laboratory. From personal experience, I know how important national
laboratories are to our country's security and scientific advancement,
and I am dedicated to ensuring that our laboratories are able to
recruit and retain a talented workforce.

While I believe that we have made significant progress for LLNL
employees, I remain in close contact with federal officials, lab
administrators, and employees to make sure that Livermore remains an
important part of the community. I strongly urge you to stay in touch
with me if you have concerns about your benefits or other issues at
LLNL.

Thank you again for sharing your views. Please do not hesitate to
contact me if I can be of additional assistance. To learn about other
issues that I am working on in Congress, I encourage you to visit my
website at www.mcnerney.house.gov.

Sincerely,

Jerry McNerney
Member of Congress

Please do not reply to this message as the mailbox is unattended.
If you wish to contact me again, please visit my website at
http://mcnerney.house.gov